Mid Suffolk

Mid Suffolk's population expanded in the 10 years leading up to the latest census. At the same time there were changes in religion and work life.

The population reached nearly 97,000

In the 10 years leading up to 2011, the population of Mid Suffolk increased by 11%, from just over 86,800 to 96,700.

The addition of just under 9,900 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Mid Suffolk was home to, on average, 0.79 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was lower than the average across Eastof England

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Eastof England, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Mid Suffolk

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Mid Suffolk increased by three years, from 41 to 44 years.

This rural area had a higher average age than Eastof England and remained older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 4,600 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by almost 2,000.

About 14% of people in Mid Suffolk are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and Mid Suffolk by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Mid Suffolk that rented privately increased from 8.4% to 11% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just over one in nine (11%) households lived in social housing, compared with 12% in 2001. The percentage of Mid Suffolk households that owned their home decreased from 77% to 75%.

The proportion of privately rented homes decreased faster here than in any other local authority district across Eastof England. But despite the improvement, Mid Suffolk remained less healthy than the regional average 15% in Eastof England described their health as good in 2011).

Private renting in Mid Suffolk increased by 2.8 percentage points

Percentage of households in Mid Suffolk, Eastof England and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

More adults are separated from partners

Mid Suffolk saw Eastof England's largest rise in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner.

In 2011, just over one in nine (11%) people aged 16 and over in Mid Suffolk said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner, compared with 9.2% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 60% to 57%.

Across the region, Tendring saw the next largest increase in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner (from 11% in 2001 to 13% in 2011).

During this period, Mid Suffolk went from having the 41st-highest to the 18th-lowest percentage of people who had divorced or separated out of 309 English local authority areas.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner was lower than across Eastof England

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner across local authority areas in Eastof England and the average across England, March 2011

Changing work life

The rate of unemployment increased in Mid Suffolk, but at a slower rate than all other local authority areas in Eastof England, except Cambridge.

Every local authority area across Eastof England saw a rise in the proportion of unemployed people, as the regional average grew from 2.6% to 3.8%.

The rate of unemployment was lower than across Eastof England

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were unemployed across local authority areas in Eastof England and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Mid Suffolk

The number of people in Mid Suffolk that described themselves as having no religion increased from just over 13,000 in 2001 to just under 27,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 15% to 28% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across Eastof England (from 17% to 28%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Mid Suffolk that described themselves as Christian decreased from just under 67,000 in 2001 to about 62,000 in 2011 (from 77% to 64%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from about 6,500 to just over 7,500 (from 7.5% to 7.8%).

About 330 people (0.3%) said they identified with a religion other than Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism or Sikhism, up from just over 230 in 2001 (0.3%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Mid Suffolk increased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, East and Mid Suffolk by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

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